42 U.S. Code § 712 - Services to individuals with a postpartum condition and their families

In addition to any other payments made under this subchapter to a State, the Secretary may make grants to eligible entities for projects for the establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to individuals with or at risk for postpartum conditions and their families.

(b) Certain activities

To the extent practicable and appropriate, the Secretary shall ensure that projects funded under subsection (a) provide education and services with respect to the diagnosis and management of postpartum conditions for individuals with or at risk for postpartum conditions and their families. The Secretary may allow such projects to include the following:

(1)Delivering or enhancing outpatient and home-based health and support services, including case management and comprehensive treatment services.

(2)Delivering or enhancing inpatient care management services that ensure the well-being of the mother and family and the future development of the infant.

(3)Improving the quality, availability, and organization of health care and support services (including transportation services, attendant care, homemaker services, day or respite care, and providing counseling on financial assistance and insurance).

(4)Providing education about postpartum conditions to promote earlier diagnosis and treatment. Such education may include—

(A)providing complete information on postpartum conditions, symptoms, methods of coping with the illness, and treatment resources; and

(B)in the case of a grantee that is a State, hospital, or birthing facility—

(i)providing education to new mothers and fathers, and other family members as appropriate, concerning postpartum conditions before new mothers leave the health facility; and

(ii)ensuring that training programs regarding such education are carried out at the health facility.

(c) Integration with other programs

To the extent practicable and appropriate, the Secretary may integrate the grant program under this section with other grant programs carried out by the Secretary, including the program under section
254b of this title.

(d) Requirements

The Secretary shall establish requirements for grants made under this section that include a limit on the amount of grants funds that may be used for administration, accounting, reporting, or program oversight functions and a requirement for each eligible entity that receives a grant to submit, for each grant period, a report to the Secretary that describes how grant funds were used during such period.

(e) Technical assistance

The Secretary may provide technical assistance to entities seeking a grant under this section in order to assist such entities in complying with the requirements of this section.

(f) Application of other provisions of subchapter

(1) In general

Except as provided in paragraph (2), the other provisions of this subchapter shall not apply to a grant made under this section.

(2) Exceptions

The following provisions of this subchapter shall apply to a grant made under this section to the same extent and in the same manner as such provisions apply to allotments made under section
702(c) of this title:

(A)Section
704(b)(6) of this title (relating to prohibition on payments to excluded individuals and entities).

(B)Section
704(c) of this title (relating to the use of funds for the purchase of technical assistance).

(C)Section
704(d) of this title (relating to a limitation on administrative expenditures).

(D)Section
706 of this title (relating to reports and audits), but only to the extent determined by the Secretary to be appropriate for grants made under this section.

(E)Section
707 of this title (relating to penalties for false statements).

(G)Section
709(a) of this title (relating to the administration of the grant program).

(g) Definitions

In this section:

(1)The term “eligible entity”—

(A)means a public or nonprofit private entity; and

(B)includes a State or local government, public-private partnership, recipient of a grant under section
254c–8 of this title (relating to the Healthy Start Initiative), public or nonprofit private hospital, community-based organization, hospice, ambulatory care facility, community health center, migrant health center, public housing primary care center, or homeless health center.

“(1) Expansion and intensification of activities.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this subsection and subsection (c) referred to as the ‘Secretary’) is encouraged to continue activities on postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis (in this subsection and subsection (c) referred to as ‘postpartum conditions’), including research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and treatments for, postpartum conditions. Activities under this paragraph shall include conducting and supporting the following:

“(A) Basic research concerning the etiology and causes of the conditions.

“(B) Epidemiological studies to address the frequency and natural history of the conditions and the differences among racial and ethnic groups with respect to the conditions.

“(C) The development of improved screening and diagnostic techniques.

“(D) Clinical research for the development and evaluation of new treatments.

“(E) Information and education programs for health care professionals and the public, which may include a coordinated national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of postpartum conditions. Activities under such a national campaign may—

“(i) include public service announcements through television, radio, and other means; and

“(ii) focus on—

“(I) raising awareness about screening;
“(II) educating new mothers and their families about postpartum conditions to promote earlier diagnosis and treatment; and
“(III) ensuring that such education includes complete information concerning postpartum conditions, including its symptoms, methods of coping with the illness, and treatment resources.

“(A) Sense of congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health may conduct a nationally representative longitudinal study (during the period of fiscal years 2010 through 2019) of the relative mental health consequences for women of resolving a pregnancy (intended and unintended) in various ways, including carrying the pregnancy to term and parenting the child, carrying the pregnancy to term and placing the child for adoption, miscarriage, and having an abortion. This study may assess the incidence, timing, magnitude, and duration of the immediate and long-term mental health consequences (positive or negative) of these pregnancy outcomes.

“(B) Report.—Subject to the completion of the study under subsection (a), beginning not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Mar. 23, 2010], and periodically thereafter for the duration of the study, such Director may prepare and submit to the Congress reports on the findings of the study.”